Mario Balotelli Has Commissioned a Life-Sized Statue…of Himself

Mario Balotelli makes my job fun. Some days you have to write about heroes murdering their girlfriends, or teenage boxers being killed in the ring. But then there are days when you get to write about a dude like Mario—a dude who builds an ATV racetrack in his backyard, sets his house on fire by lighting fireworks inside, strikes a legendary pose after scoring a big goal, and has a well-documented penchant for purple underpants.

So whenever I get to start my day by writing about Mario Balotelli, that’s a good thing. And today is one of those days.

You see, the wacky but gifted striker, recently transferred from Manchester City to AC Milan, has apparently let all the fanfare surrounding his arrival in the northern Italian city go to his head.

Why do I say this? Because the 22-year-old has commissioned a life-sized platinum and bronze statue of himself.

The Milan artist commissioned for this work told Il Giornale di Brescia, “I presented several drawings but Mario wanted to be immortalized in a pose that shows him having scored a goal, highlighting his muscles and with an expression of defiance.”

Of course, most athletes only get statues after long, successful careers. But I guess Mario figured, why wait?